Mortgage how to: sell a house

The sixth and final episode in The Telegraph's series of mortgage explainers,
aimed at helping first time buyers take their first steps on the property
ladder.

It's a buyers market – apparently. A stagnant housing market has meant that sellers are having to peddle extra hard to shift their property at an acceptable price.

In this, the sixth and final episode in The Telegraph's series of mortgage explainers, we help you to maximise the chances of you selling your home and making the most profit on your investment.

Choosing the right estate agent is key – make them work for your business. Ask at least three agents to assess your home and show you some comparable properties that they have sold recently. Speak to some of their past clients, or do your own mystery shopping and view the properties they sell. Do negotiators arrive on time? Are the Saturday staff experts?

The smell of freshly baked bread is a house-sellers cliché, but children’s messy bedrooms can knock serious cash off the value of a house as prospective buyers are put off by piles of toys, clothes and books.

Accoding to ING, two-thirds of prospective buyers are put off by smelly bathrooms and six in ten by grubby kitchens.